Publications
Publications
- February 2005 (Revised April 2011)
- HBS Case Collection
Haier's U.S. Refrigerator Strategy
By: Pankaj Ghemawat, Thomas M. Hout and Jordan I. Siegel
Abstract
Haier, the first Chinese consumer durable brand in the United States, succeeded in the compact refrigerator, freezer, and air conditioner markets and then built a U.S. factory to enter the full-size market. Issues include the value of a local entrepreneur to the Asian manufacturer entering the United States; brand building and price positioning; the sourcing location decision trade-off between production costs and logistics costs; the role of change in the U.S. appliance distribution channels; global and regional competitive analysis; the response of U.S. competitors to the global sourcing evolution; and the time horizons of Chinese company management.
Keywords
Factories, Labs, and Plants; Global Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Market Entry and Exit; Competitive Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; China; United States
Citation
Ghemawat, Pankaj, Thomas M. Hout, and Jordan I. Siegel. "Haier's U.S. Refrigerator Strategy." Harvard Business School Case 705-475, February 2005. (Revised April 2011.)